Who can volunteer? Any student, staff or faculty of the University of Kansas. However, all volunteers MUST be affiliated with the University.

To sign up, we need one person to be the main contact. They will receive all of the information about the volunteer meeting and registration on the day of the event. The best way for a floor or group to sign up is to have everyone who wants to participate put their names and emails in an excel spreadsheet and then have the RA/group leader fill out the online form on our website.

What if my floor/group already registered and I wasn’t on the list? Just fill out the online registration form by yourself noting which floor/group you want to join.

Can I register without a group? Yes! Individuals can register without joining a floor/group and they will be paired with others who registered as an individual. Lots of people register that way.

Can I just show up on the day of the event? No, we need for you to sign up to be paired with a job site and receive all of the necessary liability information.

What kind of jobs will I be doing? We can do anything that doesn’t involve power tools. The volunteers are scheduled to be at their job sites for four hours so whatever can be done in that time.

Will The Big Event count for my community service? We are happy to sign any forms, but you need to check that this will count.

If you miss the deadline, give us a call! 785-864-7469.

Job Sites

Is The Big Event need-based? No, anyone is welcome to sign up as a job site. Homes, agencies, parks, etc.

Do you help in Topeka or Eudora?No, KU liability will not allow us to go outside of Lawrence City limits.

What kinds of jobs can the volunteers do?We can do anything that doesn’t involve power tools. The volunteers are scheduled to be there for four hours so whatever they can get done in that time.

I submitted a form and haven’t heard back. We are working through the list of job sites submissions but are a bit behind. If it was over a week ago, please email bigeventku.outreach@gmail.com or call 785-864-7469 and they can let you know who will be contacting you.

If I rent my space, can I still have work done? Yes, but you are liable for talking to the owner.

I don’t have Internet, how do I sign up?Give us a call! 785-864-7469

I’m a homeowner but won’t be home during The Big Event. Can I still have volunteers come to my house?You or someone you know MUST be there WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS ARRIVE. If no one is present the volunteers will be instructed to help with another site.

]]>0mcomptonhttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=12292015-01-12T23:19:12Z2015-01-12T22:20:20ZNow in its fifth year, the BIG Event is a way for KU students, faculty and staff to say “thank you” to their neighbors in Lawrence, Kansas. Our day of service is not need based and is open to anyone within Lawrence city limits. This year’s BIG Event will be on Saturday, April 18, 2015.

]]>0Beth Littlehttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=10232015-01-12T22:13:38Z2013-10-30T17:41:11ZNow in its fifth year, the BIG Event is a way for KU students, faculty and staff to say “thank you” to their neighbors in Lawrence, Kansas. Sign up yourself, your student organization, your class or your group of friends for this annual day of service. This year’s BIG Event will be on Saturday, April 18, 2015.

If all of that sounds agreeable, fill out the request form below. A member of the Big Event Operations team will be in touch about setting your group up with some supplies.

Sorry, tools are not available for loan in the two weeks prior to or following our big ‘ole annual day of service. For 2013-14, that means we’ll suspend tool rental requests from Saturday, March 29, 2014 to Saturday, April 26, 2014.

Tool rental requests

Registered student groups, KU departments, and University offices may borrow tools, event supplies, and other items from the Big Event inventory. Please submit your request here. A Big Event representative will be in touch to help set up your rental. All rentals are provided free of charge to KU entities.

Hawk Week interest list - 2013-14

Interested in helping plan the fourth annual Big Event? Sign up here, and we'll get in touch with more information about how to get involved.

Name*

FirstLast

Year in school*

Email*

]]>0Beth Littlehttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=9142013-05-23T19:26:28Z2013-05-23T19:26:28ZLawrence resident Teresa Thompson wrote a letter to the Lawrence Journal-World about her experience with the third annual Big Event. Read on for more.

Here’s a little clip for Teresa’s letter:

When the students arrived, I was overjoyed with their kindness and thorough skills in organization and how quickly they put my mess in order.

Read the full letter here. We love hearing from our neighbors in Lawrence about their experiences with the Big Event!

]]>0Beth Littlehttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=9122013-05-23T19:23:01Z2013-05-23T19:23:01ZThe Lawrence Journal-World editorial board had some nice things to say about the third annual Big Event a few days after we’d packed up the tools. Read on for the post-event editorial.

Here’s a brief excerpt from the article:

It takes a lot of coordination to match that many volunteers with work assignments across the city, but the increased numbers must indicate that results of the event are satisfying for both the volunteers and those they help.

]]>0Beth Littlehttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=9082013-05-23T19:19:09Z2013-05-23T19:18:34ZThe Big Event recruited 3,000 KU students, faculty and staff to complete projects at almost 400 job sites around the Lawrence community. An article about the event appeared in the University Daily Kansan. Here’s a preview:

Participation has increased drastically since the first year of the Big Event. In 2011, about 500 volunteers completed projects at 80 job sites in Lawrence neighborhoods. Last year, 2,000 volunteers performed tasks at 200 job sites. This year had the largest participation rate so far with 3,000 volunteers at 400 job sites.

Read the full article here, and see the UDK’s photo gallery of the event here.

]]>0Beth Littlehttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=9062013-05-23T19:19:46Z2013-05-23T19:13:37ZRead all about the third annual Big Event at KU in the Lawrence Journal-World’s coverage of the day.

The first year saw fewer than 500 volunteers working at fewer than 80 sites, Big Event executive director Lauren Reinhart, a Kansas City, Mo., senior said. Last year saw about 2,000 volunteers at about 180 sites.

]]>0Beth Littlehttp://thebigeventku.com/?p=8672015-01-12T22:29:22Z2013-04-16T17:14:01ZThe Big Event at KU relies on support from campus and community to put on its annual day of service. Local businesses, families, and organizations can support our day of service through in-kind donations, monetary donations, marketing services, and basically anything that works for you. No matter your level of support, it helps make our day happen. In exchange, we say ‘thank you’ through large public recognition to all of our volunteers and job sites.